Apparatus for cooking



2 Sheets-Sheet l mmm w. JOURDAN APPARATUS Fon COOKING Filed July 12 Aug. 8,A 1933.

ug. 8, 1933. w JOURDAN 1,921,231

APPARATUS Fon COOKING Filed July 12. 1929 2 y sheets-sheet 2 Patented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,921,231 APPARATUS FOR COOKING4 William Jourdan, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 12, 1929. Serial No. 377,82

8 Claims. Cl. 99-2) 'Ihis invention relates to improvements in means and methods of c ooking food products and especially meat products.

The object of the invention is to provide such means and methods that shall quickly and uniformly cook an associated quantity of meat products such as hams or various kinds of sausages.

The present invention is an improvement upon my earlier invention disclosed and claimed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,690,449, issued to me November 6, 1928, wherein is disclosed a novel method of applying hot water to such meat products to cook them.

In the present invention, means are provided for quickly bringing the cabinet to a substantially uniform temperature and for maintaining it at such uniform temperature during the cooking period, thus-not only hastening the process but also resulting in more excellent and uniform products.

Another feature of the invention relates to means provided f or practically insulating the products from the outer walls of the cabinet, this also resulting in quicker, better and more uniformly cooked products.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to. the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front view of a cooking cabinet constructed and equipped in accordance with this invention and which I have found to be best suited for practicing my improved process ofcooking;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig.'3 is a central, vertical sectionl on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a similaisection on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and l Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 5.

In said drawings, 1 illustrates a cooking cabinet preferably made of sheet metal and provided with hinged doors 2 at its front, which can be opened for filling and emptying the. cabinet. Simple lever and bolt means 3 are provided for lathng the doors closed. The cabinet is preferably recthe line 2-2 of on the line 4 4 tangular in horizontal cross-section, and suitable means, not shownf are provided for conveniently entering and r oving racks which are used to hold the pro cts to be cooked.

The cabinet is provided with a sump or well portion 4 at its lower end forcollectingand containing the hot water which is used in the cooking process. Suitable means, such as a steam 'rear side. The deliverypipe 8 is controlled by a hand valve 10, and a water supply pipe 11 connects with the pipe 8 above the valve 10, through which cold water can be supplied for cooling'off and washing the products after they have been cooked. This supply pipe 11 is controlled by a hand'valve 12.

Connected with the horizontal delivery pipe 9 are two forwardly extending distribution pipes `l3, each provided with two delivery nozzles 14,

thus providing four delivery nozzles in the upper part of the cabinet.

Surrounding the four delivery nozzles is a rectangular baiiie dome or deilector 15. This deflector is in the form of an open-bottomed rectangular pan, the side walls 16 of which are spaced slightly from the sidewalls of the cabinet.

The horizontal delivery pipe 9 has a rearwardly extending extension 17 at substantially the middle of the cabinet, which connects outside of the rear wall 16 of the deiiector with a vertical pipe 18 which connects at its lower end with a horizontal distribution pipe 19 extending out above the sump 4. This distribution pipe 19 is provided with two discharge nozzles 20 similar to the nozzles 14, one near the front and one near the rear of the cabinet.

The delivery nozzles 14 and 20 have relatively large discharge openings 20 directed downwardly and adaptedto emit a relatively large and solid stream of water. Each discharge noz-- zle is provided with a centrally disposed deflecting plate or disk 21 below the discharge opening 20' and against which the stream of Water is directed.

The disk 21 has an upwardly turned serrated marginal edge 22 which causes the stream escaping through the opening 20 to be broken up into innumerable iine streams and to be directed upwardly as indicated in the drawings.

-- The upper discharge nozzles are arranged slightly above the lower edges of the side walls 16 of the deiiector dome 15 and streams directed upwardly from the nozzle deiiectors 21 strike up into the deflector dome liimpinging against the top wall 22 of same and against the vertical sides 16 at various angles. The various small streams are thereby further-broken up and intermingled, and the drops of hot water fall down upon the food products thus during the cooking process constantly bathing the products with hot water in the form of drops which do not strike the products at any denite points.

Considerable of the hot water thrown'up into the deiiector hood is deflected down alongthe inner surfaces of the side walls 16 of the hood and form a hot water curtain 23 spaced slightly inwardly from the walls of the cabinet.

The nozzles 19 at the bottom of the cabinet also direct the streams of water upwardly, thus not only subjecting the products to these streams of hot water from beneath but releasing heat in the lower part of the cabinet. When the hot water is delivered into the cabinet through the nozzles, the whole interior of the cabinet is lled with the fine sprays and drops of hot water, thus quickly heating the contents of the cabinet.

In using the cabinet, the doors 2 are opened and the products to be cooked placed in the cabinet; the doors are then closed, and the pump 6 is started to deliver the hot water from the sump to the nozzles.

The dotted lines 24 indicate the dimensions of a suitable rack upon which the meat products are supported during the cooking process.

Usually the products to be cooked are placed on the rack, and they are thus within the area dened by the depending side walls of the dome 15.

For easily loading and unloading the cabinet,

van elevated rail 25 is provided, upon which a suitable wheeled trolley 26 is run, and the rack indicated by the dotted lines 24 is suspended from the trolley.

Suitable means, such as angle iron members 27 and 28, are arranged to center the rack in the cabinet and properly position it below the spray dome 15.

The track 25 enters theabinet and is suspended therein by a suitable` suspending bracket 29.

The doors 2 are notched, as shown at 30, to pass the .track 25.

When the racky containing the products to be cooked is placed in the cabinet and the doors are closed, the rack, as explained, is centered beneath the spray dome 15, and, the water in the sump being hot, the pump is started and the cooking process is begun.

The relatively cold air with which the `cabinet is filled at the beginning of the cooking process is a detriment to the quick and even heating of the contents, and the hot vapor released from the hotA water produces a slight pressure within the cabinet.- I make use of this slight pressure to quickly discharge the cold air from the cabinet. This cold air is heavier than the vapors, and I provide a row of discharge. openings 31 in the front of the cabinet -just above the normal lvel of the water in the sump, through which openings the cold air is quickly discharged. I am thus enabled, by the use of the discharge nozzles Zorat the bottom and the forcing out of the cold air through the openings 31, to quickly bring the interior of the cabinet and the contents to the maximum cooking temperature throughout, and consequently I am enabled to thoroughly cook a11- o the contents in a minimum time. Y

As many modifications of. the invention will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, I do not limit or coni-lne the invention to the specific details of construction herein shown and described.

I claim:

l. In a cooking device of the kind described, spray nozzles in the upper part thereoradapted to project hot water upwardly, means in the top of the device adapted to cause the hot water to form vertical sheets adjacent to the outer walls, and means for supporting the products to be cooked within said sheets of water.

2. In a cooking device of the kind described,

nozzles in the upper part thereof for discharging hot water upwardly in theform of a spray, a hood in the upper part of the cabinet into which the nozzles discharge, peripheral walls of the hood being adapted to cause part of the water discharged to descend in the form of hot water curtains spaced from the outer wall of the cabinet.

3. In a cooking device of the kind described, nozzles in the upper part thereof for discharging hot water upwardly in the form of a spray, a hood in the upper part of the cabinet into which the nozzles discharge, peripheral walls of the hood being adapted to cause part of the water discharged to descend in the form of hot water curtains spaced from the outer wall of the cabi net, and hot water discharge nozzles in the lower part of the cabinet adapted to discharge upwardly.

fr. A cabinet for containing products to be cooked, spray nozzles in the upper part thereof for discharging hot water into the cabinet, a deflector dome in the upper part of the cabinet into which the water is sprayed, nozzles in the lower part of the cabinet for discharging a hot cooking medium, and the cabinet provided with a plurality of air discharge openings near its lower end through which the cool air in the cabinet at the beginning of the cooking process can be discharged.

5. In a cooking device of the kind described, nozzles in the upper part thereof for discharging hot water in the form of a spray, a deflector dome in the upper part of the cabinet into which the water is sprayed, and other nozzles in the lower part of the cabinet for discharging hot water upwardly in the form of a spray.

6. In a cooking device of the kind described, a

cabinet, a bafe dome in the upper part thereof having depending side walls adjacent to the side walls of the cabinet, nozzles in the upper part of the cabinet for discharging hot water upwardly against the dome in the form of a spray and other nozzles in the lower part of the cabinet for discharging hot water upwardly in the form of` a spray.

7. In a cooking device of the kind described. a cabinet which is fairly tight, a spray deecting hoodin the upper part thereof which is water tight and has depending side wallsadjacent to the side walls of the cabinet and a spray nozzle arranged and adapted to direct a spray-like stream of hot water upwardly into the hood.

8. In a food cooking device of the kind described, a cabinet for containing the'\food to be cookedfa deector 'dome in the upper part thereof for deflecting hot water sprays projected therein to and directing the hotwater downwardly ina/f 

